A Second Chance
by heka
Summary: [Bount Arc] This time, he'll get it right. [ByakuyaxHisana, implied ByakuyaxRukia] Oneshot


Heka _probably_ doesn't deserve to come online but this was dying to be posted.

Shigure: Huh.

Dark: What about _my_ fandom?

Heka: It's coming along… Anyway, since it's Bleach again, we simply _had_ to invite Kuchiki-sama!

Dark: As he's probably locked up his picture of Hisana in some deep, forgotten realm of no return (not that I wouldn't be able to steal it), we decided to get him to come here in a different manner!

Shigure: Wow, he spoke with the brackets. We did something which no one had done before. Of course, help was enlisted.

Momiji: Hiya!

Rukia: What am I doing here? What am I –?

(Shigure throws Momiji at Rukia and he turns into a rabbit.)

Shigure: There you go. A real-life Chappy.

Rukia: Ooh! Yay!

Heka: Wait… you got Rukia? Not that I mind, she's one of my favourite characters but…

Shigure: But? Is there a flaw in our perfect plan? Does Byakuya not protect his sister above all else?

Heka: Yes… well… but there are _others_.

Dark: What others? Why do I feel an ominous feeling coming over me?

Heka: Well, other than Byakuya-hime, there are two _other_ guys who consider Rukia very important in their lives…

Dark, Shigure: … Damn.

Heka: And they're probably on their way here now.

Byakuya: Chire, Senbonzakura. You are in my way. Again.

Renji: Howl, Zabimaru! Hell no, taichou!

Ichigo: Getsuga Tensho! What are you two doing _here_?

Dark, Shigure: _CAN'T YOU TELL US THIS SORT OF THING EARLIER?! _

Heka: What? You didn't ask!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is from the Bount Arc, I think it's the episode 92 or 93 or 94.

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**Title: Second Chance**

When he had heard that she was locked in combat with one of the Bount, something in his body stopped for a moment.

It was a while later that he realised that it was his heartbeat. By then, he had already swept out of the Captains' meeting and was already making his way to the gate of the Court of Pure Souls.

'Ano, taichou? What was the meeting-?'

His vice-captain did not even get the chance to finish his sentence before his captain vanished from his sight, moving too fast to be seen.

Renji stared in surprise at the spot where his Captain was supposed to be. For Kuchiki taichou to completely ignore him like that, something terribly urgent must have called him away, probably a result of the aforementioned Captains' meeting.

Exiting the gate of the Court of Pure Souls, Kuchiki Byakuya glanced around briefly, his hand clutching his zanpakuto so tightly that Senbonzakura complained slightly of the pain. Focusing his energies, he felt bursts of reiatsu all over Rukongai and began to mentally eliminate the ones which were too coarse or powerful to be –

Ah. _There_.

His breathing hitched when he realised that even as Rukia's signal was still burning fiercely as if in retaliation to the Bount's attacks, it was weakening quickly as well. All too aware of her too-recent encounter with the Bount, he knew that Rukia could only hold her stead for so long. Stepping towards the direction of her signal, he quickened his pace as he realised how far away he was from her.

As he leapt over the countless buildings towards her position, the feeling of unease made something long forgotten stirred within his memory: he remembered a similar race where his heart felt like it was going to leap out of his mouth and his palms were beginning to bead with cold sweat, even as he pushed himself to go faster – _faster_.

His wife was dying and he had been out, albeit very reluctantly, on an important division mission. Having completed it as swiftly as possible, he had rushed back home upon hearing that her condition had taken a turn for the worst. The race to get there before it was too late, before anything happened to her, had been the worst and most excruciating journey home he had ever taken, with so much at stake at the finishing line.

Yet when it had ended and he had entered her room, his heart beating so hard that it was painful against his chest, she had merely looked at him with that same apologetic look and smile. Upon seeing that, he was suddenly so consumed with anger at the fact that she had always, always, _always_ apologised for not being a good sister and an exemplary wife as she had been barren – that he wanted to grab her and shake her to stop her from apologising for something that had _never been her fault_. No matter how many times he tried to convince her of that, she never listened and never believed anything he said.

It had all disappeared when she had abruptly winced in pain. Within a heartbeat, he was by her side, gently supporting her head as he ordered the ashen-faced servants to leave them alone.

'Byakuya-sama, Hisana fears-'

'Hush,' he murmured. 'Do not speak. Rest.' He brought her closer to himself, shocked at her coldness. Embracing her wholly in his warmth, he hoped against hope that she would not feel his sickening fast heartbeat or the trembling that was slowly overpowering his body.

She continued speaking nonetheless, her urgency to pass one of her final messages to him giving her breath strength.

'Promise Hisana,' she whispered, her voice cracking like dried leaves. 'Find and protect… my sister. Give her the life… I never... deserved to have.'

She could not speak any more after that statement. The toll had been too great upon her voice.

Byakuya hissed inwardly, silently cursing the girl who had consumed his wife's mind to such a degree that she wasted away in guilt for it.

'Yes. I promise. We will search and protect her _together_.' He felt so helpless, murmuring these empty words to her.

Hisana did not live to see the plum blossoms bloom that year.

Byakuya's heart broke when they buried her. Etching his promise to her in his cracked heart, he carved the family vow to never break the law again in his head. Breathing had never seemed so _hard_.

Not soon after, when the pain had already subsided to a dull ache, he had found Rukia lurking amongst the second best class in the Central Spirit Training Institute and had her inaugurated into the Kuchiki family immediately. The dull ache had intensified upon seeing such a hauntingly familiar face and he could not bear being in her presence without remembering Hisana. True enough, she was led to believe by the servants that she had been added to the family due to her great resemblance to the current Head's late wife – a fact that she secretly confirmed by herself when she had chanced upon Hisana's memorial in his study, not that he was supposed to be aware of that fact.

He watched her progress in the Institute, first out of propriety then out of interest, before it evolved to something akin to pride as she struggled to prove herself worthy of his weighty family name. Hisana had never done that. She had always apologised for not being good enough, even as he had loved her. Rukia on the other hand, fought hard to gain his imaginary approval by excelling in her annual tests and practical examinations. When she graduated, he ensured that she was never promoted beyond a certain seat, though deep inside, he knew that she could very well hold her stead with any single numbered seat from any division.

And as she had bloomed under the benevolent eyes of Ukitake Juushirou, Byakuya found himself counting the differences between Hisana and her; the ache momentarily forgotten. They looked just so similar, yet were so different...

_Then_ she had done the unforgivable and he had struggled mightily within himself to keep both his promises to his family and his wife – his breath labouring with every intake of air and his lungs squeezed so tight that he could barely breathe as her execution date drew nearer and nearer.

Even after the haphazard and definitely reckless rescue of the substitute Shinigami (whatever his name was), when the chance to protect her arose sharply, so did he, taking a near-lethal stab to his side even as she looked at him in wide-eyed disbelief and shock (so reminiscent of Hisana), that her cold, uncaring Nii-sama would take a blade piercing upon her behalf. Everything had come out then and as she held his hand in her trembling fingers, her voice cracking with emotion at the tale, Kuchiki Byakuya was immensely surprised to find his heart was slowly but surely, beating again.

Hisana had given him a second chance. To live and breathe – to protect someone, when he had failed with her.

The very next breath he inhaled felt like the first he had since Hisana's body had been swallowed by the earth. It broke the shackles of past that had held him down for so long.

Byakuya paused for a moment to re-orientate, homing in swiftly on the now-extremely weak version of Rukia's reiatsu signal. Kuchikis did not take second chances lightly. Few mistakes were ever tolerated and fewer second chances were ever given out.

Besides, even if Hisana's body was wrecked by sickness and guilt, it would not stop her from having his hide should he fail her this time round.

This time round, Byakuya was not going to be so helpless. He would not stand aside and watch her fight alone. The first lesson had been painful enough.

He took a deep breath. This time was different. This time…

Kuchiki Byakuya drew Senbonzakura and brought her to his lips.

This time…

'Chire, Senbonzakura.'

Rukia barely registered how gentle and warm Byakuya's hands were when he caught her in his arms.

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Heka: Are they gone?

Dark: Dunno. Everyone alive?

Shigure: Argh.

Rukia: Chappy!

Dark: Good.

Shigure: Did you not listen? I said, 'Argh.'

Dark: The fact that you said it was good enough.

Heka: Sssh! I think I see –

Byakuya: _Die_.

All: Eeek!

Renji: Ah _hah_!

Rukia: Chappy!

Renji: Rukia! Are you alright?

Rukia: What are _you_ doing here?

Ichigo: That's my question!

Rukia: What are _all of you_ doing here?

Renji: Didn't… Didn't they kidnap you?

Rukia: No. They were showing me Chappy.

All: …

Byakuya: … Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.

Dark: What is _that_?!

Heka: Bankai! _Run_! Get away, _getoutofhisway_!

Renji: Damn you for making him trigger happy!

Heka: Ummm, please review as we run from Byakuya-hime.

Ichigo: Don't call him that!


End file.
